U.S. patent number 10,666,708 [Application Number 15/901,887] was granted by the patent office on 2020-05-26 for systems and methods for updating web pages using static resource version pinning.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Facebook, Inc.. The grantee listed for this patent is Facebook, Inc.. Invention is credited to Nicholas John Gavalas, Bhuwan Bhushan Khattar, Benjamin D. Maurer, Killian Murphy, Nathan Paul Schloss, Andrey Sukhachev, Pieter David Vanderwerff.
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United States Patent |
10,666,708 |
Gavalas , et al. |
May 26, 2020 |
Systems and methods for updating web pages using static resource
version pinning
Abstract
Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media can
receive a client request from a requesting user. The client request
is associated with a web page. A static resource file identifier
and a version identifier are determined based on the client
request. A response to the client request is generated based on the
static resource file identifier and the version identifier.
Inventors: |
Gavalas; Nicholas John
(Franklin Square, NY), Schloss; Nathan Paul (New York,
NY), Vanderwerff; Pieter David (Mountain View, CA),
Sukhachev; Andrey (Sunnyvale, CA), Maurer; Benjamin D.
(Palo Alto, CA), Khattar; Bhuwan Bhushan (Mountain View,
CA), Murphy; Killian (San Francisco, CA) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Facebook, Inc. |
Menlo Park |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Facebook, Inc. (Menlo Park,
CA)
|
Family
ID: |
70774863 |
Appl.
No.: |
15/901,887 |
Filed: |
February 21, 2018 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L
67/2842 (20130101); H04L 67/02 (20130101); H04L
67/06 (20130101); H04L 67/146 (20130101); H04L
67/1097 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G06F
15/16 (20060101); H04L 29/08 (20060101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Whipple; Brian
Assistant Examiner: Tolchinsky; Gregory P
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Sheppard Mullin Richter &
Hampton LLP
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A computer-implemented method comprising: receiving, by a
computing system, a client request from a requesting user, wherein
the client request is associated with a web page; determining, by
the computing system, a static resource file identifier and a
version identifier based on the client request; identifying, by the
computing system, one or more tree hashes based on the static
resource file identifier and the version identifier, wherein the
one or more tree hashes identify one or more tree graphs;
identifying, by the computing system, one or more file hashes based
on the one or more tree graphs and user characteristics associated
with the requesting user, wherein the one or more file hashes
identify one or more user-adapted static resource files; and
generating, by the computing system, a response to the client
request based on the one or more file hashes.
2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the static
resource file identifier and the version identifier identify a
first static resource file version, and the method further
comprises identifying one or more additional static resource file
versions upon which the first static resource file version
depends.
3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the
identifying the one or more additional static resource file
versions comprises querying an auxiliary data table, and further
wherein the auxiliary data table comprises a plurality of entries,
each entry of the plurality of entries is associated with a
particular static resource file version, and each entry of the
plurality of entries, associated with a particular static resource
file version, identifies a set of additional static resource file
versions upon which the particular static resource file version
depends.
4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein each static
resource file version of the set of additional static resource file
versions is identified in the auxiliary table by a tree hash
associated with the static resource file version.
5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the
auxiliary data table de-duplicates data that is common to multiple
revisions of a static resource file.
6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising
storing the one or more tree graphs in a local cache of the
computing system, wherein at least one of the tree graphs of the
one or more tree graphs is retrieved from a remote database and
copied to the local cache.
7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the remote
database stores a set of tree data defining a plurality of tree
graphs, and the local cache stores a subset of the set of tree
data.
8. The computer-implement method of claim 1, further comprising:
traversing each tree graph of the one or more tree graphs based on
the user characteristics associated with the requesting user to
identify the one or more user-adapted static resource files.
9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the response
to the client request comprises a set of URLs, and each URL of the
set of URLs specifies a network address from which a user-adapted
static resource file of the one or more user-adapted static
resource files can be downloaded.
10. A system comprising: at least one processor; and a memory
storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one
processor, cause the system to perform a method comprising:
receiving a client request from a requesting user, wherein the
client request is associated with a web page; determining a static
resource file identifier and a version identifier based on the
client request; identifying one or more tree hashes based on the
static resource file identifier and the version identifier, wherein
the one or more tree hashes identify one or more tree graphs;
identifying one or more file hashes based on the one or more tree
graphs and user characteristics associated with the requesting
user, wherein the one or more file hashes identify one or more
user-adapted static resource files; and generating a response to
the client request based on the one or more file hashes.
11. The system of claim 10, wherein the static resource file
identifier and the version identifier identify a first static
resource file version, and the instructions, when executed by the
at least one processor, further cause the system to perform:
identifying one or more additional static resource file versions
upon which the first static resource file version depends.
12. The system of claim 11, wherein the identifying the one or more
additional static resource file versions comprises querying an
auxiliary data table, and further wherein the auxiliary data table
comprises a plurality of entries, each entry of the plurality of
entries is associated with a particular static resource file
version, and each entry of the plurality of entries, associated
with a particular static resource file version, identifies a set of
additional static resource file versions upon which the particular
static resource file version depends.
13. The system of claim 12, wherein each static resource file
version of the set of additional static resource file versions is
identified in the auxiliary table by a tree hash associated with
the static resource file version.
14. The system of claim 12, wherein the auxiliary data table
de-duplicates data that is common to multiple revisions of a static
resource file.
15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including
instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a
computing system, cause the computing system to perform a method
comprising: receiving a client request from a requesting user,
wherein the client request is associated with a web page;
determining a static resource file identifier and a version
identifier based on the client request; identifying one or more
tree hashes based on the static resource file identifier and the
version identifier, wherein the one or more tree hashes identify
one or more tree graphs; identifying one or more file hashes based
on the one or more tree graphs and user characteristics associated
with the requesting user, wherein the one or more file hashes
identify one or more user-adapted static resource files; and
generating a response to the client request based on the one or
more file hashes.
16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim
15, wherein the static resource file identifier and the version
identifier identify a first static resource file version, and the
instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further
cause the computing system to perform: identifying one or more
additional static resource file versions upon which the first
static resource file version depends.
17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim
16, wherein the identifying the one or more additional static
resource file versions comprises querying an auxiliary data table,
and further wherein the auxiliary data table comprises a plurality
of entries, each entry of the plurality of entries is associated
with a particular static resource file version, and each entry of
the plurality of entries, associated with a particular static
resource file version, identifies a set of additional static
resource file versions upon which the particular static resource
file version depends.
18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim
17, wherein each static resource file version of the set of
additional static resource file versions is identified in the
auxiliary table by a tree hash associated with the static resource
file version.
19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim
17, wherein the auxiliary data table de-duplicates data that is
common to multiple revisions of a static resource file.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present technology relates to the field of web pages. More
particularly, the present technology relates to systems and methods
for safely implementing web page updates.
BACKGROUND
Today, people often utilize computing devices (or systems) for a
wide variety of purposes. Users can use their computing devices,
for example, to interact with one another, create content, share
content, and view content. In some cases, a user can utilize his or
her computing device to access a social networking system (or
service). The user can provide, post, share, and access various
content items, such as status updates, images, videos, articles,
and links, via the social networking system. In certain scenarios,
a user can access the social networking system by using a computing
device to load a web page (or web site).
SUMMARY
Various embodiments of the present disclosure can include systems,
methods, and non-transitory computer readable media configured to
receive a client request from a requesting user. The client request
is associated with a web page. A static resource file identifier
and a version identifier are determined based on the client
request. A response to the client request is generated based on the
static resource file identifier and the version identifier.
In an embodiment, the static resource file identifier and the
version identifier identify a first static resource file version.
One or more additional static resource file versions are
identified. The first static resource file version depends upon the
one or more additional static resource file versions.
In an embodiment, the identifying the one or more additional static
resource file versions comprises querying an auxiliary data table.
The auxiliary data table comprises a plurality of entries, each
entry of the plurality of entries is associated with a particular
static resource file version, and each entry of the plurality of
entries, being associated with a particular static resource file
version, identifies a set of additional static resource file
versions upon which the particular static resource file version
depends.
In an embodiment, each static resource file version of the set of
additional static resource file versions is identified in the
auxiliary table by a tree hash associated with the static resource
file version.
In an embodiment, the auxiliary data table de-duplicates data that
is common to multiple revisions of a static resource file.
In an embodiment, a set of tree graphs associated with the first
static resource file version and the one or more additional static
resource file versions is identified.
In an embodiment, the set of tree graphs are stored in a local
cache of the computing system. At least one of the tree graphs of
the set of tree graphs is retrieved from a remote database and
copied to the local cache.
In an embodiment, the remote database stores a set of tree data
defining a plurality of tree graphs, and the local cache stores a
subset of the set of tree data.
In an embodiment, each tree graph of the set of tree graphs is
traversed based on a set of user parameters associated with the
requesting user to identify a set of user-adapted static resource
files.
In an embodiment, the response to the client request comprises a
set of URLs, and each URL of the set of URLs specifies a network
address from which a user-adapted static resource file of the set
of user-adapted static resource files can be downloaded.
It should be appreciated that many other features, applications,
embodiments, and/or variations of the disclosed technology will be
apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the following
detailed description. Additional and/or alternative implementations
of the structures, systems, non-transitory computer readable media,
and methods described herein can be employed without departing from
the principles of the disclosed technology.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates an example system including a static resource
management module, according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
FIG. 2A illustrates an example data management module, according to
an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 2B illustrates an example tree graph, according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 3 illustrates an example client request processing module,
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 4 illustrates an example functional block diagram associated
with processing a client request, according to an embodiment of the
present disclosure.
FIG. 5A illustrates an example method associated with processing a
client request, according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
FIG. 5B illustrates an example method associated with processing a
client request, according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
FIG. 6 illustrates a network diagram of an example system including
an example social networking system that can be utilized in various
scenarios, according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a computer system or computing
device that can be utilized in various scenarios, according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure.
The figures depict various embodiments of the disclosed technology
for purposes of illustration only, wherein the figures use like
reference numerals to identify like elements. One skilled in the
art will readily recognize from the following discussion that
alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated
in the figures can be employed without departing from the
principles of the disclosed technology described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Static Resource Version Pinning
Today, people often utilize computing devices (or systems) for a
wide variety of purposes. Users can use their computing devices,
for example, to interact with one another, create content, share
content, and view content. In some cases, a user can utilize his or
her computing device to access a social networking system (or
service). The user can provide, post, share, and access various
content items, such as status updates, images, videos, articles,
and links, via the social networking system. In certain scenarios,
a user can access the social networking system by using a computing
device to load a web page (or web site).
When a user attempts to access a web page, such as a web page on a
social networking system, a client computing device used by the
user can transmit a request for the web page. For example, a user
can use a web browser application on the client computing device to
try to access and view a web page, and the client computing device
can transmit a corresponding request for the web page. The request
can be received at one or more web servers associated with the web
page. The one or more web servers can communicate with the client
computing device to transmit appropriate resources to the client
computing device so that the web browser application can load the
web page. There are generally two types of resources that may be
included in a web page: static resources and dynamic resources. In
general, dynamic resources may change (i.e., may be updated) more
frequently, whereas static resources tend to remain more stable and
unchanged for longer periods of time. Examples of static resources
may include, but are not limited to, JavaScript code for generating
dynamic web pages, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) code for describing
the presentation semantics of a web page, and images (e.g., GIF or
JPEG files) included in web pages. Static resources may be
contained in static resource files, such as JavaScript files, CSS
files, and/or image files. Static resources that are intended to be
transmitted to and/or executed on a client computing device may
also be referred to herein as client-side static resources.
When a web page provider, such as a social networking system, wants
to update a web page, the web page provider will generally update
server-side code residing on one or more web servers. Similarly,
client-side static resources can also be updated so that they are
compatible with the updated server-side code. However, web page
providers may have a very large number of web servers, with some
larger providers having hundreds or thousands of web servers. For
each new update, updated server-side code must be pushed to each of
these web servers. It can be appreciated that this update push
process can involve significant amounts of time, sometimes on the
order of hours or even days. This can cause a situation in which,
during the update push, certain web servers have updated
server-side code while others have non-updated server-side code.
Similarly, under conventional approaches, during the update push
period, certain client computing devices may have non-updated
client-side static resources while other client computing devices
may have updated client-side static resources.
In such scenarios, non-updated client-side static resources may
attempt to communicate with updated server-side code and/or updated
client-side static resources may attempt to communicate with
non-updated server-side code. In other words, there may be a
version mismatch between client-side static resources and
server-side code. Under conventional approaches, this can be
problematic, as changes in either the updated client-side static
resources and/or the updated server-side code may make them
incompatible with non-updated server-side code and/or non-updated
client-side static resources. These errors in communication caused
by version mismatches are generally temporary because, eventually,
all client computing devices and web servers should become updated
with the latest update versions. However, during update push
periods, communication errors caused by version mismatches can
cause potentially serious problems. These problems can be
particularly troublesome for web pages that are updated frequently,
resulting in frequent update push periods with increased potential
for version mismatches. Furthermore, under conventional approaches,
data storage restrictions for web servers generally make it
impractical for a web server to service multiple versions of
client-side static resources at a given time. Therefore, under
conventional approaches, web servers are generally configured to
service only a single version (e.g., a most recent version) of
client-side static resources.
An improved approach rooted in computer technology overcomes the
foregoing and other disadvantages associated with conventional
approaches specifically arising in the realm of computer
technology. In general, when a user (e.g., a web page provider)
attempts to update a web page to a new update version, the update
can be pushed out to one or more web servers associated with the
web page. However, rather than forcing client-side static resources
to also be updated to the latest update version, client-side static
resources can be kept at an earlier version. In other words, even
while server-side code is being updated to a new version,
client-side static resources can, at least temporarily, remain
"pinned" to an earlier version. In order for updated web servers to
communicate with and/or service client-side static resources from
previous versions, data can be stored on the web servers in such a
way that the web servers are configured to be backwards-compatible
and capable of servicing (e.g., providing) client-side static
resources from earlier versions.
As mentioned above, under conventional approaches, limitations on
web server data storage generally make it impractical for a web
server to service previous versions of client-side static
resources. Various embodiments of the present disclosure allow for
backwards-compatibility of web servers while substantially
minimizing the amount of data that is stored locally at each web
server. In certain embodiments, a layered or tiered caching system
may be implemented. For example, the tiered caching system may
comprise a primary storage layer (e.g., a mySQL layer), an
intermediate cache layer (e.g., a Memcache layer), and a local
cache layer (e.g., an Alternative PHP Cache, or APC, layer). The
primary storage layer can comprise one or more primary storage
databases. The intermediate cache layer can comprise one or more
intermediate cache data stores. The local cache layer can comprise
local cache memory on one or more web servers. For example, if a
web page is associated with a set of web servers that execute
server-side code (e.g., PHP code), the local cache layer can
comprise cache memory installed on the set of web servers. In
general, accessing data stored in the primary storage layer may
require more time than accessing data stored in the intermediate
cache layer, which may require more time than accessing data stored
in the local cache layer.
In various embodiments, the primary storage layer can store tree
graphs for a plurality of static resource files and their various
versions. As mentioned above, each static resource file may have
multiple versions. For example, a first version of a static
resource file can correspond to a first version of a website and
can be referred to as "version 1," while a fifth version of the
static resource file that corresponds to a fifth version of the
website may be referred to as "version 5." Within the present
disclosure, a particular version of a particular static resource
file may be referred to as a "static resource file version."
Furthermore, each version of a static resource file (i.e., each
static resource file version) may itself have a plurality of
user-adapted versions. Different user-adapted versions of a static
resource file may be substantially identical in content, but may
adapt that content for different users. For example, consider a
static resource file that is configured to present the word
"PERSON" in a user's browser. A first user-adapted version of that
static resource file may be adapted for an English-speaking user,
while a second user-adapted version of that static resource file
may be adapted for a French-speaking user. In this example
scenario, the English-speaking user-adapted version of the static
resource file may present the word "PERSON" in the user's browser,
while the French-speaking user-adapted static resource file would
present the word "PERSONNE." The various user-adapted versions of a
static resource file may be stored as separate files. As such, a
particular static resource file version may have a plurality of
user-adapted static resource files. The tree graph for a particular
static resource file version can be used to identify an appropriate
user-adapted static resource file based on user parameters
associated with a requesting user. A hashing algorithm can be
applied to each tree graph to generate a unique tree hash for each
tree graph.
The data for a plurality of tree graphs for a plurality of versions
of a plurality of static resource files can require substantial
amounts of memory. As such, in various embodiments, a set of tree
graph data defining a set of tree graphs for a plurality of static
resource file versions can be stored in the primary storage layer,
while a subset of the tree graph data can be stored in the local
cache layer. In certain embodiments, a second subset of the tree
graph data can be stored in the intermediate cache layer. The local
cache layer can store tree hashes for each tree graph in the set of
tree graphs such that the local cache layer can retrieve tree
graphs from the primary storage layer and/or the intermediate cache
layer as needed. As user requests associated with various static
resource file versions are received, the appropriate tree graphs
can be retrieved from the primary storage layer and/or the
intermediate cache layer and cached into the intermediate cache
layer and/or the local cache layer. In this way, web servers store
tree hash information, which is relatively small in size, and the
web servers are still able to access tree graph data for every
version of every static resource file without having to locally
store that data. In this way, web servers are made
"backwards-compatible" and able to service any version of any
static resource file. These features and others are described in
greater detail herein.
FIG. 1 illustrates an example system 100 including a static
resource management module 102, according to an embodiment of the
present disclosure. The static resource management module 102 can
be configured to maintain a tiered caching system comprising a
primary storage layer and a local cache layer. The tiered caching
system can, in various embodiments, also comprise an intermediate
cache layer. For example, the primary storage layer may be a mySQL
layer, the intermediate cache layer can be a Memcache layer, and
the local cache layer can be an APC layer. In various embodiments,
data stored in the local cache layer can generally be accessed more
quickly by a web server than data stored in the intermediate cache
layer, and data stored in the intermediate cache layer can
generally be accessed more quickly by a web server than data stored
in the primary storage layer. The static resource management module
102 can generate and/or maintain a set of tree graph data defining
a plurality of tree graphs. In certain embodiments, the static
resource management module 102 can store the set of tree graph data
in the primary storage layer. Each tree graph of the set of tree
graphs can be associated with a particular version of a particular
static resource file. For example, if a first static resource file
has been updated three times, then the first static resource file
has four versions, and each of those four versions can be
associated with a unique tree graph. Similarly, if a second static
resource file has been updated once, then each of the two versions
of the second static resource file can be associated with a unique
tree graph. Each version of a static resource file (i.e., each
static resource file version) can have a plurality of user-adapted
versions. Each user-adapted version of a static resource file
version can be stored as an individual file, also referred to as a
user-adapted static resource file. The tree graph for a particular
static resource file version can be used to identify an appropriate
user-adapted static resource file based on user characteristics of
a requesting user. In various embodiments, the static resource
management module 102 can generate and/or maintain a unique file
hash for each user-adapted static resource file. In various
embodiments, the static resource management module 102 can also
generate and/or maintain a unique tree hash for each tree
graph.
The static resource management module 102 can generate and maintain
an auxiliary data table in the local cache layer. The auxiliary
data table can include a plurality of entries, and each entry can
be associated with a particular version of a particular static
resource file. For example, a first entry may be associated with a
first version (i.e., "version 1") of a first static resource file
resource.js; a second entry may be associated with version 5 of the
first static resource file resource.js; a third entry may be
associated with version 1 of a second static resource file
template.js, and so forth. Each entry can also be associated with a
set of tree hashes. The set of tree hashes for a particular entry
may define a set of static resource file versions that are required
in order to execute the static resource file version associated
with that entry.
The static resource management module 102 can be configured to
receive and process web page requests from a client computing
device. In various embodiments, a web page request may identify a
web page being requested by the user. The web page being requested
by the user may be associated with one or more static resource
files. Furthermore, information provided within the web page
request may be used to identify an appropriate version of each
static resource file needed to respond to the request. As such,
based on the web page request, a static resource file version can
be determined. For example, the web page request may be associated
with a static resource file identifier (e.g., a filename) and a
version identifier (e.g., a version number). The static resource
management module 102 can query the auxiliary data table to
identify a set of tree hashes associated with the static resource
file version. The static resource management module 102 can
retrieve a set of tree graphs based on the set of tree hashes. The
static resource management module 102 can identify a particular
user-adapted static resource file and a corresponding file hash
from each tree graph of the set of tree graphs based on user
parameters associated with the requesting user. The static resource
management module 102 can generate a response to the web page
request based on the set of file hashes identified, and transmit
the response to the requesting user.
As shown in the example of FIG. 1, the static resource management
module 102 can include a data management module 104 and a client
request processing module 106. In some instances, the example
system 100 can include at least one data store 110. The components
(e.g., modules, elements, etc.) shown in this figure and all
figures herein are exemplary only, and other implementations may
include additional, fewer, integrated, or different components.
Some components may not be shown so as not to obscure relevant
details. In various embodiments, one or more of the functionalities
described in connection with the static resource management module
102 can be implemented in any suitable combinations.
In some embodiments, the static resource management module 102 can
be implemented, in part or in whole, as software, hardware, or any
combination thereof. In general, a module as discussed herein can
be associated with software, hardware, or any combination thereof.
In some implementations, one or more functions, tasks, and/or
operations of modules can be carried out or performed by software
routines, software processes, hardware, and/or any combination
thereof. In some cases, the static resource management module 102
can be, in part or in whole, implemented as software running on one
or more computing devices or systems, such as on a server system or
a client computing device. In some instances, the static resource
management module 102 can be, in part or in whole, implemented
within or configured to operate in conjunction with or be
integrated with a social networking system (or service), such as a
social networking system 630 of FIG. 6. Likewise, in some
instances, the static resource management module 102 can be, in
part or in whole, implemented within or configured to operate in
conjunction with or be integrated with a client computing device,
such as the user device 610 of FIG. 6. For example, the static
resource management module 102 can be implemented as or within a
dedicated application (e.g., app), a program, or an applet running
on a user computing device or client computing system. The
application incorporating or implementing instructions for
performing functionality of the static resource management module
102 can be created by a developer. The application can be provided
to or maintained in a repository. In some cases, the application
can be uploaded or otherwise transmitted over a network (e.g.,
Internet) to the repository. For example, a computing system (e.g.,
server) associated with or under control of the developer of the
application can provide or transmit the application to the
repository. The repository can include, for example, an "app" store
in which the application can be maintained for access or download
by a user. In response to a command by the user to download the
application, the application can be provided or otherwise
transmitted over a network from the repository to a computing
device associated with the user. For example, a computing system
(e.g., server) associated with or under control of an administrator
of the repository can cause or permit the application to be
transmitted to the computing device of the user so that the user
can install and run the application. The developer of the
application and the administrator of the repository can be
different entities in some cases, but can be the same entity in
other cases. It should be understood that many variations are
possible.
The static resource management module 102 can be configured to
communicate and/or operate with the at least one data store 110, as
shown in the example system 100. The data store 110 can be
configured to store and maintain various types of data. In some
implementations, the data store 110 can store information
associated with the social networking system (e.g., the social
networking system 630 of FIG. 6). The information associated with
the social networking system can include data about users, user
identifiers, social connections, social interactions, profile
information, demographic information, locations, geo-fenced areas,
maps, places, events, pages, groups, posts, communications,
content, feeds, account settings, privacy settings, a social graph,
and various other types of data. In some embodiments, the data
store 110 can store information that is utilized by the static
resource management module 102. For example, the data store 110 can
store tree graph data for a set of tree graphs, one or more
auxiliary data tables, file hashes for a plurality of user-adapted
static resource files, tree hashes for a plurality of tree graphs,
and the like. It is contemplated that there can be many variations
or other possibilities.
The data management module 104 can be configured to maintain a
tiered caching system comprising a primary storage layer and a
local cache layer. In certain embodiments, the local cache layer
can comprise local caches on one or more web servers, and the
primary storage layer can comprise one or more remote databases
that are accessible by the one or more web servers. In various
embodiments, the tiered caching system can also comprise an
intermediate cache layer between the primary storage layer and the
local cache layer. For example, the primary storage layer may be a
mySQL layer, the intermediate cache layer can be a Memcache layer,
and the local cache layer can be an APC layer.
The data management module 104 can generate and/or maintain a set
of tree graph data defining a plurality of tree graphs for a
plurality of static resource files of a plurality of different
versions. In various embodiments, the set of tree graph data can be
stored in the primary storage layer, while a subset of the tree
graph data can be stored in the intermediate cache layer and/or the
local cache layer. By storing the set of tree graph data in the
primary storage layer, tree graph data for a plurality of static
resource file versions can be maintained without running afoul of
storage constraints in the local cache layer.
Furthermore, in order to increase the efficiency of retrieving tree
graph data, the data management module 104 can maintain an
auxiliary data table in the local cache layer. For example, each
web server of a set of web servers can locally store a copy of the
auxiliary data table. The auxiliary data table can comprise a
plurality of entries, with each entry being associated with a
version identifier and a static resource file identifier. A version
identifier (e.g., a version number) and a static resource file
identifier (e.g., a filename) can identify a particular version of
a particular static resource file (i.e., a particular static
resource file version). Each entry in the auxiliary data table can
comprise a set of tree hashes. The set of tree hashes for a
particular entry can identify all tree hashes required to execute
the particular static resource file version associated with the
entry. The data management module 104 is described in greater
detail herein with reference to FIG. 2A.
The client request processing module 106 can be configured to
process and generate a response to a web page request from a
requesting user. The web page request can comprise information
sufficient to determine a static resource file identifier and a
version identifier. For example, the web page request may identify
a web page and may include version information. The version
information can, for example, identify a version of JavaScript
running on a client computing device, identify a version of static
resource files resident on a client computing device, identify a
version of the web page being requested, or include any other
information such that, in conjunction with the identified web page,
the client request processing module 106 can identify a static
resource file identifier and a version identifier associated with
the web page request. The client request processing module 106 can
query an auxiliary data table to identify an entry that corresponds
to the static resource file identifier and the version identifier.
The client request processing module 106 can retrieve a set of tree
hashes associated with the identified entry. The client request
processing module 106 can retrieve a set of tree graphs based on
the set of tree hashes. The client request processing module 106
can identify a set of file hashes based on the set of tree graphs
and user parameters associated with the requesting user. For
example, for each tree graph of the set of tree graphs, the client
request processing module 106 can identify a file hash based on the
user parameters. The client request processing module 106 can
generate and transmit a response to the web page request based on
the set of file hashes. The client request processing module 106 is
described in greater detail herein with reference to FIG. 3.
FIG. 2A illustrates an example data management module 202
configured to maintain a set of static resource data in a tiered
caching system, according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure. In some embodiments, the data management module 104 of
FIG. 1 can be implemented as the data management module 202. As
shown in the example of FIG. 2A, the data management module 202 can
include a tree graph module 204, a tree hashing module 206, and an
auxiliary hashing module 208.
The tree graph module 204 can be configured to generate and/or
maintain a set of tree graph data which defines a set of tree
graphs. As discussed above, a web page can comprise a plurality of
static resource files. Further, as new versions and/or updates of
the web page are released, certain static resource files may be
updated, creating new versions of those static resource files. For
example, consider an example scenario in which a web page is
initially released with three static resource files: alpha.js,
bravo.js, and charlie.js. The initial version of the web page can
be referred to as "version 1" of the web page, and the initial
versions of those static resource files may be referred to as
alpha.js version 1, bravo.js version 1, and charlie.js version 1.
After some time, the web page may be updated, and the update may
comprise an update to static resource file alpha.js. The updated
web page may be referred to as version 2 of the web page, and the
new, updated version of alpha.js may be referred to as alpha.js
version 2.
Furthermore, each version of a static resource file may itself have
a plurality of user-adapted versions. User-adapted versions of a
static resource file version may be a version of the static
resource file version that is tailored to a particular user based
on various user parameters. For example, the user parameters can
include language, such that a first user-adapted version of a
static resource file version may be for users in English-speaking
countries, and a second user-adapted version of the static resource
file version may be for users in French-speaking countries. In
another example, the user parameters can include display
resolution, such that a first user-adapted version is for users
with displays capable of displaying a first resolution (e.g., a low
resolution), a second user-adapted version is for users with
displays capable of displaying a second resolution (e.g., a middle
resolution), and a third user-adapted version is for users with
displays capable of displaying a third resolution (e.g., a high
resolution). Other examples of user parameters can include which
browser application a user is using, a user's location, whether the
user's browser utilizes a left to right (LTR) orientation or a
right to left (RTL) orientation, a resolution of the user's
display, a pixel ratio of the user's display, a font size setting
for the user, and the like. In certain embodiments, each
user-adapted version of a static resource file version can be
stored in an individual file, also referred to as a user-adapted
static resource file.
Each user-adapted version can be associated with a plurality of
user parameters. For example, a first user-adapted version of a
static resource file version may be for English-speaking users,
using a high resolution display, with a font size of 12. A second
user-adapted version of the same static resource file version may
be for French-speaking users, using a low resolution display, with
a font size of 14. It can be appreciated that with combinations of
even just a few user parameters, each static resource file version
can have hundreds or even thousands of user-adapted versions. The
tree graph module 204 can generate and/or maintain a tree graph for
each version of each static resource file. The tree graph can be
used to organize the multitude of user-adapted versions for each
static resource file version, and to efficiently identify the
correct user-adapted static resource file(s) for a particular user.
Example embodiments for generating and maintaining tree graphs for
static resource files are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,631,394,
entitled "STATIC RESOURCE PROCESSING," and issued on Jan. 14, 2014,
the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference
as if fully set forth herein. The tree graph module 204 can
generate a unique file hash for each user-adapted static resource
file. As such, each file hash can uniquely identify a particular
user-adapted version of a particular version of a particular static
resource file (e.g., alpha.js, version 3, for English-speaking
users, with high resolution displays, using the Internet Explorer
web browser, and font size 10.)
FIG. 2B illustrates a simple example of a tree graph 250 for a
static resource file version "sample.js, version 4." In this
example tree graph 250, two user parameters are considered:
language and display resolution. In this simplified scenario, there
are three language options (U.S. English, French, and Italian), and
two display resolution options (res_1 and res_2). The tree graph
250 creates three branches for the three language options, and then
each of those language options are divided into two branches for
the two display resolution options. This results in six
user-adapted versions of the static resource file version
sample.js, version 4. Each of the six user-adapted versions is
assigned a unique file hash. For example, a first user-adapted
version is associated with English and res_1, and is assigned a
file hash 8a5qw. A second user-adapted version is associated with
English and res_2, and is assigned a file hash w123n. A third
user-adapted version is associated with French and res_1, and is
assigned a file hash z89e4. A fourth user-adapted version is
associated with French and res_2 and is assigned a file hash 4895b.
A fifth user-adapted version is associated with Italian and res_1
and is assigned a file hash asfe1. A sixth user-adapted version is
associated with Italian and res_2 and is assigned a file hash
480zy.
Returning to FIG. 2A, the tree graph module 204 can generate and/or
maintain a tree graph for each version of each static resource
file. For example, version 1 of static resource file sample.js
would be associated with a first tree graph, and version 2 of
static resource file sample.js would be associated with a second
tree graph, and version 1 of a different static resource file
template.js would be associated with a third tree graph, and so
forth. A unique tree graph is required for each unique version of
each static resource file because every time a static resource file
is updated and changed, each user-adapted version of that static
resource file would also be changed, and would require a unique
file hash.
It can be appreciated that storing tree graph data for every tree
graph for every version of every static resource file can consume a
significant amount of data storage. As such, a complete set of tree
graph data defining a set of tree graphs for a set of static
resource file versions can be stored in a primary storage layer. A
subset of the tree graph data can be stored in a local cache layer
and/or an intermediate cache layer based on which versions of which
static resource files have been requested by users (e.g., based on
which static resource files have been provided to users in response
to user web page requests). For example, as users submit web page
requests associated with particular static resource file versions,
corresponding tree graphs can be retrieved from the primary storage
layer and stored in the local cache layer and/or the intermediate
cache layer. Over time, as additional user requests are received,
tree graphs in the local cache layer and/or the intermediate cache
layer corresponding to older user requests can be replaced with
tree graphs corresponding to newer user requests.
In certain embodiments, if certain static resource file versions
are requested more frequently than others (i.e., are provided to
users more frequently in response to user web page requests), tree
graphs for those static resource file versions can be persistently
stored in the local cache layer. In other words, tree graphs for
the most frequently requested static resource file versions would
not be replaced by tree graphs corresponding to more recent user
requests. For example, the tree graph module 204 can maintain
counters for each static resource file version (i.e., each version
of each static resource file) to keep count of how many times each
static resource file version has been requested by users (i.e.,
provided to users in response to user web page requests). Each
static resource file version can be ranked based on the counters.
In various embodiments, tree graphs for the top static resource
file versions that satisfy a ranking threshold can be persistently
stored in the local cache layer. For static resource file versions
that do not satisfy the ranking threshold, tree graph data can be
stored in the local cache layer when needed, and can be replaced
within the local cache layer by tree graph data corresponding to
more recent user requests as needed.
The tree hashing module 206 can be configured to generate and/or
maintain a set of tree hashes for a plurality of tree graphs. As
discussed above, each version of each static resource file can be
associated with a tree graph. Each tree graph can be assigned a
unique tree hash. As such, each version of each static resource
file can be associated with a tree hash. If two versions of a
static resource file have the same tree graph (e.g., if that static
resource file did not change from one version to the next), then
the two versions of the static resource file would have the same
tree hash. However, if two versions of a static resource file have
different tree graphs (e.g., the static resource file was changed
from a first version to a second version), then they would also
have different tree hashes. For example, consider a web page that
is being updated from version 3 to version 4. The update from
version 3 to version 4 results in a change to a first static
resource file, alpha.js, but does not result in a change to a
second static resource file, bravo.js. The tree hash for alpha.js
version 3 would be different from the tree hash for alpha.js
version 4, because alpha.js was changed/updated in the update.
However, the tree hash for bravo.js version 3 would be the same as
the tree hash for bravo.js version 4 because bravo.js was not
changed in the update, and, therefore, the tree graph for bravo.js
version 3 is the same as the tree graph for bravo.js version 4.
The tree hashing module 206 can maintain a tree hash data table.
One or more copies of the tree hash data table can be stored in the
local cache layer. For example, each web server of a set of web
servers (e.g., all web servers associated with a web page) can
locally store a copy of the tree hash data table. The tree hash
data table can be used to map a static resource file identifier and
a version number (together defining a static resource file version)
to a tree hash, and to identify where the tree graph associated
with the tree hash is stored. For example, the tree hashing module
206 can use the tree hash data table to determine whether a tree
graph for a particular tree hash is stored in the local cache
layer. If it is stored in the local cache layer, the tree graph
does not need to be retrieved from the intermediate cache layer or
the primary storage layer. If it is not stored in the local cache
layer, the tree hashing module 206 can use the tree hash data table
to determine where in the intermediate cache layer and/or the
primary storage layer the corresponding tree graph is stored so
that it can be retrieved and written to the local cache layer. In
various embodiments, if a tree graph is stored in the intermediate
cache layer, it can be retrieved and copied to the local cache
layer. If the tree graph is not stored in the local cache layer or
the intermediate cache layer, the tree graph can be retrieved from
the primary storage layer and copied to the intermediate cache
layer and the local cache layer.
The auxiliary hashing module 208 can be configured to generate
and/or maintain one or more copies of an auxiliary data table in
the local cache layer. For example, each web server of a set of web
servers (e.g., all web servers associated with a web page) can
locally store a copy of the auxiliary data table. The auxiliary
data table can comprise a plurality of entries. Each entry in the
auxiliary data table can be associated with a static resource file
identifier and a version identifier. Each static resource file
identifier/version identifier combination can identify a particular
version of a particular static resource file (i.e., a static
resource file version). Each entry in the auxiliary data table can
comprise a set of tree hashes. A first tree hash of the set of tree
hashes can be associated with the particular static resource file
version associated with the entry. Any remaining tree hashes in the
set of tree hashes may correspond to other static resource file
versions that the particular static resource file version depends
upon. For example, a static resource file version may depend on
other static resource file versions to be executed properly. For
example, a first static resource file version, apricot.js, version
2, may include one or more functions that are defined in other
static resource file versions, e.g., blueberry.js, version 1 and
carrot.js, version 2. As such, apricot.js, version 2 cannot be
executed without blueberry.js, version 1 and carrot.js, version 2.
As such, the entry in the auxiliary data table for apricot.js,
version 2 can include three tree hashes: (1) the tree hash
corresponding to the tree graph for apricot.js, version 2, (2) the
tree hash corresponding to the tree graph for blueberry.js, version
1, and (3) the tree hash corresponding to the tree graph for
carrot.js, version 2. In this way, when a user web page request is
associated with a particular static resource file version, the
auxiliary data table can be queried to identify the tree hash for
every static resource file version that is needed to execute the
requested static resource file version.
In certain embodiments, in order to maximize efficiency of the
auxiliary data table, an auxhash can be generated for each entry in
the auxiliary data table based on the set of tree hashes associated
with each entry. By doing this, the auxhash would be unique for
each combination of tree hashes. As such, if a particular static
resource file did not change from one version to another, and,
therefore, its dependencies also did not change, then the same set
of tree hashes can be used and a new entry does not have to be
generated in the auxiliary data table. In this way, the auxiliary
data table de-duplicates data that is common to multiple revisions
or versions of a static resource file. For example, an auxiliary
data table may be generated as follows:
TABLE-US-00001 auxhash file version/revision data abc123 apricot.js
1 [th1, th2, th3] def456 apricot.js 6 [th6, th1, th3] hij789
apricot.js 9 [th2, th3, th9] klm123 blueberry.js 1 [th7, th10,
th12] nop345 blueberry.js 7 [th14, th15, th16]
This example auxiliary data table has entries for version 1,
version 6, and version 9 of a static resource file apricot.js, and
versions 1 and 7 of a static resource file blueberry.js. Version 1
of apricot.js is associated with tree hashes th1, th2, and th3. An
auxiliary hash of apricot.js, version 1, "abc123," is generated
based on the data associated with apricot.js, version 1, i.e., the
set of tree hashes th1, th2, and th3. Versions 2-5 of apricot.js do
not appear in the auxiliary data table. The auxiliary hashing
module 208 may have generated an auxiliary hash for each of these
versions of apricot.js, and found that the auxiliary hashes match
an auxiliary hash already in the table, i.e., abc123. Therefore, a
new entry was not created for these versions of apricot.js. As
such, it can be understood that the set of tree hashes for versions
2-5 of apricot.js did not change, and those versions of apricot.js
are also associated with tree hashes th1, th2, and th3. Version 6
of apricot.js is associated with tree hashes th6, th1, and th3.
This new set of tree hashes are used to generate an auxiliary hash
for apricot.js, version 6, i.e., def456. Again, based on their
absence from the auxiliary data table, it can be understood that
versions 7 and 8 of apricot.js are also associated with three
hashes th6, th1, and th3. Version 9 of apricot.js is associated
with tree hashes th2, th3, and th9, which results in an auxiliary
hash of hij789. For the static resource file blueberry.js, the
static resource file did not change from versions 1 through 6, so
of those static resource file versions, only version 1 is stored in
the auxiliary data table. Then, blueberry.js, version 7 resulted in
a change to the static resource file, such that a new entry and a
new auxhash was created in the auxiliary data table for
blueberry.js, version 7.
FIG. 3 illustrates an example client request processing module 302
configured to generate a response to a client web page request,
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In some
embodiments, the client request processing module 106 of FIG. 1 can
be implemented as the client request processing module 302. As
shown in the example of FIG. 3, the client request processing
module 302 can include a tree hash identification module 304, a
file hash identification module 306, and a response module 308.
The tree hash identification module 304 can be configured to
identify a set of tree hashes based on a client web page request. A
client web page request from a requesting user can be associated
with (e.g., contain information sufficient to determine) a static
resource file identifier and a version identifier. In other words,
at least one static resource file identifier and version identifier
can be determined based on the client web page request. The static
resource file identifier/version identifier combination can
identify a particular version of a static resource file, i.e., a
static resource file version. The tree hash identifier module 304
can query an auxiliary data table, such as the auxiliary data table
maintained by the auxiliary hashing module 206, to identify a set
of tree hashes associated with the static resource file version
identified in the client web page request.
The file hash identification module 306 can receive a tree hash,
and identify a file hash based on the tree hash and a set of user
parameters associated with a requesting user. In various
embodiments, the set of user parameters associated with a
requesting user may be provided in a parameter vector that is
transmitted with the client web page request. As discussed above, a
tree hash can be associated with a tree graph. The file hash
identification module 306 can query a tree hash data table, such as
the tree hash data table maintained by the tree hashing module 206,
to determine whether the tree graph associated with the received
tree hash is stored in a local cache layer. For example, if a
client web page request is received at a web server, the file hash
identification module 306 can query the tree hash data table to
determine whether the tree graph is stored in a local cache of the
web server. If the tree hash data table indicates that the tree
graph is stored locally, then the tree graph does not have to be
retrieved from another storage layer. If the tree hash data table
indicates that the tree graph is not stored locally, the file hash
identification module 306 can retrieve the tree graph from either
the intermediate cache layer or the primary storage layer and write
it to the local cache layer.
The file hash identification module 306 can traverse the tree graph
associated with the received tree hash to identify a file hash
based on a set of user parameters associated with a requesting
user. As discussed previously, a tree graph, such as the example
tree graph of FIG. 2B, can comprise a plurality of user-adapted
versions of a static resource file version. Each user-adapted
version can be stored in an individual file, i.e., a user-adapted
static resource file. The file hash identification module 306 can
traverse the tree graph based on the set of user parameters to
reach an end node in the tree graph. The end node can be associated
with a particular user-adapted static resource file, and can
comprise a file hash associated with the user-adapted static
resource file. For example, in the example tree graph of FIG. 2B,
the set of user parameters may indicate that the requesting user is
a French user with a display resolution of res_2. The tree graph
250 can be traversed to first move to the "fr_FR" branch, and then
to the "res_2" branch off of the "fr_FR" branch, which results in a
file hash of "4895b."
The response module 308 can generate a response to a user web page
request based on a set of file hashes. Once the file hash
identification module 306 has identified a set of file hashes based
on a set of tree hashes and a set of user parameters, the response
module 308 can generate a response based on that set of file
hashes. As discussed above, each file hash uniquely identifies a
user-adapted static resource file. In certain embodiments,
generating the response may comprise collecting a set of
user-adapted static resource files based on the file hashes and
transmitting the set of user-adapted static resource files to the
requesting user. In another embodiment, the response may comprise
determining a set of URLs associated with the set of file hashes
and transmitting the set of URLs to the requesting user. The
requesting user's computing device can utilize the set of URLs to
download a set of user-adapted static resource files to be used in
loading a web page.
FIG. 4 illustrates an example functional block diagram 400
associated with processing a client web page request, according to
an embodiment of the present disclosure. First, a client request
402 from a requesting user is received. The client request 402 can
be associated with a set of file information 404 (e.g., a static
resource file identifier and a version identifier), and a set of
client parameters 406 associated with the requesting user. For
example, the set of file information 404 may be determined based on
a web page and version information identified by the client request
402. The file information 404 is used to query an auxiliary data
table 408. The auxiliary data table 408 can be used to convert the
file information 404 into an associated set of tree hashes 410. The
set of tree hashes 410 are used to query a tree hash data table
412. Each tree hash of the set of tree hashes is associated with a
tree graph. The tree hash data table 412 identifies where each tree
graph is stored, such that a set of tree graphs 414 can be
identified, and collected in a local cache layer. The client
parameters 406 can be used to traverse the set of tree graphs 414
and identify a set of file hashes 416. A response 418 can be
generated based on the set of file hashes 416 and transmitted back
to the requesting user.
FIG. 5A illustrates an example method 500 associated with
processing a client web page request, according to an embodiment of
the present disclosure. It should be appreciated that there can be
additional, fewer, or alternative steps performed in similar or
alternative orders, or in parallel, within the scope of the various
embodiments discussed herein unless otherwise stated.
At block 502, the example method 500 can receive at a computing
device a client request from a requesting user, the client request
being associated with a web page. At block 504, the example method
500 can determine a static resource file identifier and a version
identifier based on the client request. At block 506, the example
method 500 can generate a response to the client request based on
the static resource file identifier and the version identifier.
FIG. 5B illustrates an example method 550 associated with
processing a client web page request, according to an embodiment of
the present disclosure. It should be appreciated that there can be
additional, fewer, or alternative steps performed in similar or
alternative orders, or in parallel, within the scope of the various
embodiments discussed herein unless otherwise stated.
At block 552, the example method 550 can receive at a computing
device a client request from a requesting user, wherein the client
request is associated with a static resource file identifier, a
version identifier, and a set of user parameters associated with
the requesting user. At block 554, the example method 550 can
identify a set of tree hashes associated with the static resource
file identifier and the version identifier. At block 556, the
example method 550 can identify a set of tree graphs associated
with the set of tree hashes. At block 558, the example method 550
can store the set of tree graphs in a local cache of the computing
device, wherein at least one of the tree graphs of the set of tree
graphs is retrieved from a remote database and copied to the local
cache.
It is contemplated that there can be many other uses, applications,
and/or variations associated with the various embodiments of the
present disclosure. For example, in some cases, user can choose
whether or not to opt-in to utilize the disclosed technology. The
disclosed technology can also ensure that various privacy settings
and preferences are maintained and can prevent private information
from being divulged. In another example, various embodiments of the
present disclosure can learn, improve, and/or be refined over
time.
Social Networking System--Example Implementation
FIG. 6 illustrates a network diagram of an example system 600 that
can be utilized in various scenarios, according to an embodiment of
the present disclosure. The system 600 includes one or more user
devices 610, one or more external systems 620, a social networking
system (or service) 630, and a network 650. In an embodiment, the
social networking service, provider, and/or system discussed in
connection with the embodiments described above may be implemented
as the social networking system 630. For purposes of illustration,
the embodiment of the system 600, shown by FIG. 6, includes a
single external system 620 and a single user device 610. However,
in other embodiments, the system 600 may include more user devices
610 and/or more external systems 620. In certain embodiments, the
social networking system 630 is operated by a social network
provider, whereas the external systems 620 are separate from the
social networking system 630 in that they may be operated by
different entities. In various embodiments, however, the social
networking system 630 and the external systems 620 operate in
conjunction to provide social networking services to users (or
members) of the social networking system 630. In this sense, the
social networking system 630 provides a platform or backbone, which
other systems, such as external systems 620, may use to provide
social networking services and functionalities to users across the
Internet.
The user device 610 comprises one or more computing devices that
can receive input from a user and transmit and receive data via the
network 650. In one embodiment, the user device 610 is a
conventional computer system executing, for example, a Microsoft
Windows compatible operating system (OS), Apple OS X, and/or a
Linux distribution. In another embodiment, the user device 610 can
be a device having computer functionality, such as a smart-phone, a
tablet, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile telephone,
etc. The user device 610 is configured to communicate via the
network 650. The user device 610 can execute an application, for
example, a browser application that allows a user of the user
device 610 to interact with the social networking system 630. In
another embodiment, the user device 610 interacts with the social
networking system 630 through an application programming interface
(API) provided by the native operating system of the user device
610, such as iOS and ANDROID. The user device 610 is configured to
communicate with the external system 620 and the social networking
system 630 via the network 650, which may comprise any combination
of local area and/or wide area networks, using wired and/or
wireless communication systems.
In one embodiment, the network 650 uses standard communications
technologies and protocols. Thus, the network 650 can include links
using technologies such as Ethernet, 802.11, worldwide
interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), 3G, 4G, CDMA, GSM,
LTE, digital subscriber line (DSL), etc. Similarly, the networking
protocols used on the network 650 can include multiprotocol label
switching (MPLS), transmission control protocol/Internet protocol
(TCP/IP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), hypertext transport
protocol (HTTP), simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP), file
transfer protocol (FTP), and the like. The data exchanged over the
network 650 can be represented using technologies and/or formats
including hypertext markup language (HTML) and extensible markup
language (XML). In addition, all or some links can be encrypted
using conventional encryption technologies such as secure sockets
layer (SSL), transport layer security (TLS), and Internet Protocol
security (IPsec).
In one embodiment, the user device 610 may display content from the
external system 620 and/or from the social networking system 630 by
processing a markup language document 614 received from the
external system 620 and from the social networking system 630 using
a browser application 612. The markup language document 614
identifies content and one or more instructions describing
formatting or presentation of the content. By executing the
instructions included in the markup language document 614, the
browser application 612 displays the identified content using the
format or presentation described by the markup language document
614. For example, the markup language document 614 includes
instructions for generating and displaying a web page having
multiple frames that include text and/or image data retrieved from
the external system 620 and the social networking system 630. In
various embodiments, the markup language document 614 comprises a
data file including extensible markup language (XML) data,
extensible hypertext markup language (XHTML) data, or other markup
language data. Additionally, the markup language document 614 may
include JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) data, JSON with padding
(JSONP), and JavaScript data to facilitate data-interchange between
the external system 620 and the user device 610. The browser
application 612 on the user device 610 may use a JavaScript
compiler to decode the markup language document 614.
The markup language document 614 may also include, or link to,
applications or application frameworks such as FLASH.TM. or
Unity.TM. applications, the SilverLight.TM. application framework,
etc.
In one embodiment, the user device 610 also includes one or more
cookies 616 including data indicating whether a user of the user
device 610 is logged into the social networking system 630, which
may enable modification of the data communicated from the social
networking system 630 to the user device 610.
The external system 620 includes one or more web servers that
include one or more web pages 622a, 622b, which are communicated to
the user device 610 using the network 650. The external system 620
is separate from the social networking system 630. For example, the
external system 620 is associated with a first domain, while the
social networking system 630 is associated with a separate social
networking domain. Web pages 622a, 622b, included in the external
system 620, comprise markup language documents 614 identifying
content and including instructions specifying formatting or
presentation of the identified content.
The social networking system 630 includes one or more computing
devices for a social network, including a plurality of users, and
providing users of the social network with the ability to
communicate and interact with other users of the social network. In
some instances, the social network can be represented by a graph,
i.e., a data structure including edges and nodes. Other data
structures can also be used to represent the social network,
including but not limited to databases, objects, classes, meta
elements, files, or any other data structure. The social networking
system 630 may be administered, managed, or controlled by an
operator. The operator of the social networking system 630 may be a
human being, an automated application, or a series of applications
for managing content, regulating policies, and collecting usage
metrics within the social networking system 630. Any type of
operator may be used.
Users may join the social networking system 630 and then add
connections to any number of other users of the social networking
system 630 to whom they desire to be connected. As used herein, the
term "friend" refers to any other user of the social networking
system 630 to whom a user has formed a connection, association, or
relationship via the social networking system 630. For example, in
an embodiment, if users in the social networking system 630 are
represented as nodes in the social graph, the term "friend" can
refer to an edge formed between and directly connecting two user
nodes.
Connections may be added explicitly by a user or may be
automatically created by the social networking system 630 based on
common characteristics of the users (e.g., users who are alumni of
the same educational institution). For example, a first user
specifically selects a particular other user to be a friend.
Connections in the social networking system 630 are usually in both
directions, but need not be, so the terms "user" and "friend"
depend on the frame of reference. Connections between users of the
social networking system 630 are usually bilateral ("two-way"), or
"mutual," but connections may also be unilateral, or "one-way." For
example, if Bob and Joe are both users of the social networking
system 630 and connected to each other, Bob and Joe are each
other's connections. If, on the other hand, Bob wishes to connect
to Joe to view data communicated to the social networking system
630 by Joe, but Joe does not wish to form a mutual connection, a
unilateral connection may be established. The connection between
users may be a direct connection; however, some embodiments of the
social networking system 630 allow the connection to be indirect
via one or more levels of connections or degrees of separation.
In addition to establishing and maintaining connections between
users and allowing interactions between users, the social
networking system 630 provides users with the ability to take
actions on various types of items supported by the social
networking system 630. These items may include groups or networks
(i.e., social networks of people, entities, and concepts) to which
users of the social networking system 630 may belong, events or
calendar entries in which a user might be interested,
computer-based applications that a user may use via the social
networking system 630, transactions that allow users to buy or sell
items via services provided by or through the social networking
system 630, and interactions with advertisements that a user may
perform on or off the social networking system 630. These are just
a few examples of the items upon which a user may act on the social
networking system 630, and many others are possible. A user may
interact with anything that is capable of being represented in the
social networking system 630 or in the external system 620,
separate from the social networking system 630, or coupled to the
social networking system 630 via the network 650.
The social networking system 630 is also capable of linking a
variety of entities. For example, the social networking system 630
enables users to interact with each other as well as external
systems 620 or other entities through an API, a web service, or
other communication channels. The social networking system 630
generates and maintains the "social graph" comprising a plurality
of nodes interconnected by a plurality of edges. Each node in the
social graph may represent an entity that can act on another node
and/or that can be acted on by another node. The social graph may
include various types of nodes. Examples of types of nodes include
users, non-person entities, content items, web pages, groups,
activities, messages, concepts, and any other things that can be
represented by an object in the social networking system 630. An
edge between two nodes in the social graph may represent a
particular kind of connection, or association, between the two
nodes, which may result from node relationships or from an action
that was performed by one of the nodes on the other node. In some
cases, the edges between nodes can be weighted. The weight of an
edge can represent an attribute associated with the edge, such as a
strength of the connection or association between nodes. Different
types of edges can be provided with different weights. For example,
an edge created when one user "likes" another user may be given one
weight, while an edge created when a user befriends another user
may be given a different weight.
As an example, when a first user identifies a second user as a
friend, an edge in the social graph is generated connecting a node
representing the first user and a second node representing the
second user. As various nodes relate or interact with each other,
the social networking system 630 modifies edges connecting the
various nodes to reflect the relationships and interactions.
The social networking system 630 also includes user-generated
content, which enhances a user's interactions with the social
networking system 630. User-generated content may include anything
a user can add, upload, send, or "post" to the social networking
system 630. For example, a user communicates posts to the social
networking system 630 from a user device 610. Posts may include
data such as status updates or other textual data, location
information, images such as photos, videos, links, music or other
similar data and/or media. Content may also be added to the social
networking system 630 by a third party. Content "items" are
represented as objects in the social networking system 630. In this
way, users of the social networking system 630 are encouraged to
communicate with each other by posting text and content items of
various types of media through various communication channels. Such
communication increases the interaction of users with each other
and increases the frequency with which users interact with the
social networking system 630.
The social networking system 630 includes a web server 632, an API
request server 634, a user profile store 636, a connection store
638, an action logger 640, an activity log 642, and an
authorization server 644. In an embodiment of the invention, the
social networking system 630 may include additional, fewer, or
different components for various applications. Other components,
such as network interfaces, security mechanisms, load balancers,
failover servers, management and network operations consoles, and
the like are not shown so as to not obscure the details of the
system.
The user profile store 636 maintains information about user
accounts, including biographic, demographic, and other types of
descriptive information, such as work experience, educational
history, hobbies or preferences, location, and the like that has
been declared by users or inferred by the social networking system
630. This information is stored in the user profile store 636 such
that each user is uniquely identified. The social networking system
630 also stores data describing one or more connections between
different users in the connection store 638. The connection
information may indicate users who have similar or common work
experience, group memberships, hobbies, or educational history.
Additionally, the social networking system 630 includes
user-defined connections between different users, allowing users to
specify their relationships with other users. For example,
user-defined connections allow users to generate relationships with
other users that parallel the users' real-life relationships, such
as friends, co-workers, partners, and so forth. Users may select
from predefined types of connections, or define their own
connection types as needed. Connections with other nodes in the
social networking system 630, such as non-person entities, buckets,
cluster centers, images, interests, pages, external systems,
concepts, and the like are also stored in the connection store
638.
The social networking system 630 maintains data about objects with
which a user may interact. To maintain this data, the user profile
store 636 and the connection store 638 store instances of the
corresponding type of objects maintained by the social networking
system 630. Each object type has information fields that are
suitable for storing information appropriate to the type of object.
For example, the user profile store 636 contains data structures
with fields suitable for describing a user's account and
information related to a user's account. When a new object of a
particular type is created, the social networking system 630
initializes a new data structure of the corresponding type, assigns
a unique object identifier to it, and begins to add data to the
object as needed. This might occur, for example, when a user
becomes a user of the social networking system 630, the social
networking system 630 generates a new instance of a user profile in
the user profile store 636, assigns a unique identifier to the user
account, and begins to populate the fields of the user account with
information provided by the user.
The connection store 638 includes data structures suitable for
describing a user's connections to other users, connections to
external systems 620 or connections to other entities. The
connection store 638 may also associate a connection type with a
user's connections, which may be used in conjunction with the
user's privacy setting to regulate access to information about the
user. In an embodiment of the invention, the user profile store 636
and the connection store 638 may be implemented as a federated
database.
Data stored in the connection store 638, the user profile store
636, and the activity log 642 enables the social networking system
630 to generate the social graph that uses nodes to identify
various objects and edges connecting nodes to identify
relationships between different objects. For example, if a first
user establishes a connection with a second user in the social
networking system 630, user accounts of the first user and the
second user from the user profile store 636 may act as nodes in the
social graph. The connection between the first user and the second
user stored by the connection store 638 is an edge between the
nodes associated with the first user and the second user.
Continuing this example, the second user may then send the first
user a message within the social networking system 630. The action
of sending the message, which may be stored, is another edge
between the two nodes in the social graph representing the first
user and the second user. Additionally, the message itself may be
identified and included in the social graph as another node
connected to the nodes representing the first user and the second
user.
In another example, a first user may tag a second user in an image
that is maintained by the social networking system 630 (or,
alternatively, in an image maintained by another system outside of
the social networking system 630). The image may itself be
represented as a node in the social networking system 630. This
tagging action may create edges between the first user and the
second user as well as create an edge between each of the users and
the image, which is also a node in the social graph. In yet another
example, if a user confirms attending an event, the user and the
event are nodes obtained from the user profile store 636, where the
attendance of the event is an edge between the nodes that may be
retrieved from the activity log 642. By generating and maintaining
the social graph, the social networking system 630 includes data
describing many different types of objects and the interactions and
connections among those objects, providing a rich source of
socially relevant information.
The web server 632 links the social networking system 630 to one or
more user devices 610 and/or one or more external systems 620 via
the network 650. The web server 632 serves web pages, as well as
other web-related content, such as Java, JavaScript, Flash, XML,
and so forth. The web server 632 may include a mail server or other
messaging functionality for receiving and routing messages between
the social networking system 630 and one or more user devices 610.
The messages can be instant messages, queued messages (e.g.,
email), text and SMS messages, or any other suitable messaging
format.
The API request server 634 allows one or more external systems 620
and user devices 610 to call access information from the social
networking system 630 by calling one or more API functions. The API
request server 634 may also allow external systems 620 to send
information to the social networking system 630 by calling APIs.
The external system 620, in one embodiment, sends an API request to
the social networking system 630 via the network 650, and the API
request server 634 receives the API request. The API request server
634 processes the request by calling an API associated with the API
request to generate an appropriate response, which the API request
server 634 communicates to the external system 620 via the network
650. For example, responsive to an API request, the API request
server 634 collects data associated with a user, such as the user's
connections that have logged into the external system 620, and
communicates the collected data to the external system 620. In
another embodiment, the user device 610 communicates with the
social networking system 630 via APIs in the same manner as
external systems 620.
The action logger 640 is capable of receiving communications from
the web server 632 about user actions on and/or off the social
networking system 630. The action logger 640 populates the activity
log 642 with information about user actions, enabling the social
networking system 630 to discover various actions taken by its
users within the social networking system 630 and outside of the
social networking system 630. Any action that a particular user
takes with respect to another node on the social networking system
630 may be associated with each user's account, through information
maintained in the activity log 642 or in a similar database or
other data repository. Examples of actions taken by a user within
the social networking system 630 that are identified and stored may
include, for example, adding a connection to another user, sending
a message to another user, reading a message from another user,
viewing content associated with another user, attending an event
posted by another user, posting an image, attempting to post an
image, or other actions interacting with another user or another
object. When a user takes an action within the social networking
system 630, the action is recorded in the activity log 642. In one
embodiment, the social networking system 630 maintains the activity
log 642 as a database of entries. When an action is taken within
the social networking system 630, an entry for the action is added
to the activity log 642. The activity log 642 may be referred to as
an action log.
Additionally, user actions may be associated with concepts and
actions that occur within an entity outside of the social
networking system 630, such as an external system 620 that is
separate from the social networking system 630. For example, the
action logger 640 may receive data describing a user's interaction
with an external system 620 from the web server 632. In this
example, the external system 620 reports a user's interaction
according to structured actions and objects in the social
graph.
Other examples of actions where a user interacts with an external
system 620 include a user expressing an interest in an external
system 620 or another entity, a user posting a comment to the
social networking system 630 that discusses an external system 620
or a web page 622a within the external system 620, a user posting
to the social networking system 630 a Uniform Resource Locator
(URL) or other identifier associated with an external system 620, a
user attending an event associated with an external system 620, or
any other action by a user that is related to an external system
620. Thus, the activity log 642 may include actions describing
interactions between a user of the social networking system 630 and
an external system 620 that is separate from the social networking
system 630.
The authorization server 644 enforces one or more privacy settings
of the users of the social networking system 630. A privacy setting
of a user determines how particular information associated with a
user can be shared. The privacy setting comprises the specification
of particular information associated with a user and the
specification of the entity or entities with whom the information
can be shared. Examples of entities with which information can be
shared may include other users, applications, external systems 620,
or any entity that can potentially access the information. The
information that can be shared by a user comprises user account
information, such as profile photos, phone numbers associated with
the user, user's connections, actions taken by the user such as
adding a connection, changing user profile information, and the
like.
The privacy setting specification may be provided at different
levels of granularity. For example, the privacy setting may
identify specific information to be shared with other users; the
privacy setting identifies a work phone number or a specific set of
related information, such as, personal information including
profile photo, home phone number, and status. Alternatively, the
privacy setting may apply to all the information associated with
the user. The specification of the set of entities that can access
particular information can also be specified at various levels of
granularity. Various sets of entities with which information can be
shared may include, for example, all friends of the user, all
friends of friends, all applications, or all external systems 620.
One embodiment allows the specification of the set of entities to
comprise an enumeration of entities. For example, the user may
provide a list of external systems 620 that are allowed to access
certain information. Another embodiment allows the specification to
comprise a set of entities along with exceptions that are not
allowed to access the information. For example, a user may allow
all external systems 620 to access the user's work information, but
specify a list of external systems 620 that are not allowed to
access the work information. Certain embodiments call the list of
exceptions that are not allowed to access certain information a
"block list". External systems 620 belonging to a block list
specified by a user are blocked from accessing the information
specified in the privacy setting. Various combinations of
granularity of specification of information, and granularity of
specification of entities, with which information is shared are
possible. For example, all personal information may be shared with
friends whereas all work information may be shared with friends of
friends.
The authorization server 644 contains logic to determine if certain
information associated with a user can be accessed by a user's
friends, external systems 620, and/or other applications and
entities. The external system 620 may need authorization from the
authorization server 644 to access the user's more private and
sensitive information, such as the user's work phone number. Based
on the user's privacy settings, the authorization server 644
determines if another user, the external system 620, an
application, or another entity is allowed to access information
associated with the user, including information about actions taken
by the user.
In some embodiments, the social networking system 630 can include a
static resource management module 646. The static resource
management module 646 can, for example, be implemented as the
static resource management module 102, as discussed in more detail
herein. As discussed previously, it should be appreciated that
there can be many variations or other possibilities. For example,
in some embodiments, one or more functionalities of the static
resource management module 646 can be implemented in the user
device 610.
Hardware Implementation
The foregoing processes and features can be implemented by a wide
variety of machine and computer system architectures and in a wide
variety of network and computing environments. FIG. 7 illustrates
an example of a computer system 700 that may be used to implement
one or more of the embodiments described herein according to an
embodiment of the invention. The computer system 700 includes sets
of instructions for causing the computer system 700 to perform the
processes and features discussed herein. The computer system 700
may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a
networked deployment, the computer system 700 may operate in the
capacity of a server machine or a client machine in a client-server
network environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or
distributed) network environment. In an embodiment of the
invention, the computer system 700 may be the social networking
system 630, the user device 610, and the external system 620, or a
component thereof. In an embodiment of the invention, the computer
system 700 may be one server among many that constitutes all or
part of the social networking system 630.
The computer system 700 includes a processor 702, a cache 704, and
one or more executable modules and drivers, stored on a
computer-readable medium, directed to the processes and features
described herein. Additionally, the computer system 700 includes a
high performance input/output (I/O) bus 706 and a standard I/O bus
708. A host bridge 710 couples processor 702 to high performance
I/O bus 706, whereas I/O bus bridge 712 couples the two buses 706
and 708 to each other. A system memory 714 and one or more network
interfaces 716 couple to high performance I/O bus 706. The computer
system 700 may further include video memory and a display device
coupled to the video memory (not shown). Mass storage 718 and I/O
ports 720 couple to the standard I/O bus 708. The computer system
700 may optionally include a keyboard and pointing device, a
display device, or other input/output devices (not shown) coupled
to the standard I/O bus 708. Collectively, these elements are
intended to represent a broad category of computer hardware
systems, including but not limited to computer systems based on the
x86-compatible processors manufactured by Intel Corporation of
Santa Clara, Calif., and the x86-compatible processors manufactured
by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif., as
well as any other suitable processor.
An operating system manages and controls the operation of the
computer system 700, including the input and output of data to and
from software applications (not shown). The operating system
provides an interface between the software applications being
executed on the system and the hardware components of the system.
Any suitable operating system may be used, such as the LINUX
Operating System, the Apple Macintosh Operating System, available
from Apple Computer Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., UNIX operating
systems, Microsoft.RTM. Windows.RTM. operating systems, BSD
operating systems, and the like. Other implementations are
possible.
The elements of the computer system 700 are described in greater
detail below. In particular, the network interface 716 provides
communication between the computer system 700 and any of a wide
range of networks, such as an Ethernet (e.g., IEEE 802.3) network,
a backplane, etc. The mass storage 718 provides permanent storage
for the data and programming instructions to perform the
above-described processes and features implemented by the
respective computing systems identified above, whereas the system
memory 714 (e.g., DRAM) provides temporary storage for the data and
programming instructions when executed by the processor 702. The
I/O ports 720 may be one or more serial and/or parallel
communication ports that provide communication between additional
peripheral devices, which may be coupled to the computer system
700.
The computer system 700 may include a variety of system
architectures, and various components of the computer system 700
may be rearranged. For example, the cache 704 may be on-chip with
processor 702. Alternatively, the cache 704 and the processor 702
may be packed together as a "processor module", with processor 702
being referred to as the "processor core". Furthermore, certain
embodiments of the invention may neither require nor include all of
the above components. For example, peripheral devices coupled to
the standard I/O bus 708 may couple to the high performance I/O bus
706. In addition, in some embodiments, only a single bus may exist,
with the components of the computer system 700 being coupled to the
single bus. Moreover, the computer system 700 may include
additional components, such as additional processors, storage
devices, or memories.
In general, the processes and features described herein may be
implemented as part of an operating system or a specific
application, component, program, object, module, or series of
instructions referred to as "programs". For example, one or more
programs may be used to execute specific processes described
herein. The programs typically comprise one or more instructions in
various memory and storage devices in the computer system 700 that,
when read and executed by one or more processors, cause the
computer system 700 to perform operations to execute the processes
and features described herein. The processes and features described
herein may be implemented in software, firmware, hardware (e.g., an
application specific integrated circuit), or any combination
thereof.
In one implementation, the processes and features described herein
are implemented as a series of executable modules run by the
computer system 700, individually or collectively in a distributed
computing environment. The foregoing modules may be realized by
hardware, executable modules stored on a computer-readable medium
(or machine-readable medium), or a combination of both. For
example, the modules may comprise a plurality or series of
instructions to be executed by a processor in a hardware system,
such as the processor 702. Initially, the series of instructions
may be stored on a storage device, such as the mass storage 718.
However, the series of instructions can be stored on any suitable
computer readable storage medium. Furthermore, the series of
instructions need not be stored locally, and could be received from
a remote storage device, such as a server on a network, via the
network interface 716. The instructions are copied from the storage
device, such as the mass storage 718, into the system memory 714
and then accessed and executed by the processor 702. In various
implementations, a module or modules can be executed by a processor
or multiple processors in one or multiple locations, such as
multiple servers in a parallel processing environment.
Examples of computer-readable media include, but are not limited
to, recordable type media such as volatile and non-volatile memory
devices; solid state memories; floppy and other removable disks;
hard disk drives; magnetic media; optical disks (e.g., Compact Disk
Read-Only Memory (CD ROMS), Digital Versatile Disks (DVDs)); other
similar non-transitory (or transitory), tangible (or non-tangible)
storage medium; or any type of medium suitable for storing,
encoding, or carrying a series of instructions for execution by the
computer system 700 to perform any one or more of the processes and
features described herein.
For purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set
forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the
description. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the
art that embodiments of the disclosure can be practiced without
these specific details. In some instances, modules, structures,
processes, features, and devices are shown in block diagram form in
order to avoid obscuring the description. In other instances,
functional block diagrams and flow diagrams are shown to represent
data and logic flows. The components of block diagrams and flow
diagrams (e.g., modules, blocks, structures, devices, features,
etc.) may be variously combined, separated, removed, reordered, and
replaced in a manner other than as expressly described and depicted
herein.
Reference in this specification to "one embodiment", "an
embodiment", "other embodiments", "one series of embodiments",
"some embodiments", "various embodiments", or the like means that a
particular feature, design, structure, or characteristic described
in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one
embodiment of the disclosure. The appearances of, for example, the
phrase "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places
in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same
embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually
exclusive of other embodiments. Moreover, whether or not there is
express reference to an "embodiment" or the like, various features
are described, which may be variously combined and included in some
embodiments, but also variously omitted in other embodiments.
Similarly, various features are described that may be preferences
or requirements for some embodiments, but not other
embodiments.
The language used herein has been principally selected for
readability and instructional purposes, and it may not have been
selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter.
It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited
not by this detailed description, but rather by any claims that
issue on an application based hereon. Accordingly, the disclosure
of the embodiments of the invention is intended to be illustrative,
but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth
in the following claims.
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